Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 447

"Why bother with all that, hon? Being the reigning lady of the house is no easy gig. We've got it good now, don't we? No worries in the world, and everything we need is taken care of."

Ashley was upset.

How did she end up marrying a man with no ambition?

"I can't even with you right now. I'm going to go chat with Olina."

Ashley stood up and left the room.

After a few steps, she paused, then turned on her heel and headed into the kitchen.

Soon after, she went out with a maid, who was carrying a tray with three dishes of freshly cooked food.

She couldn't outright stop Owen and Cecilia from being together, but she could definitely plant the seeds of doubt in Olina's mind.

Olina always thought very highly of herself, especially since she considered her son Owen the rightful heir, putting her on a pedestal. She never liked Cecilia much, so a few choice words in Olina's ear, and she would surely act as she always did, putting obstacles in the path of Owen and Cecilia's relationship.

From what Ashley had observed about the Yates family, they weren't the type to social climb or sell their daughter off to the highest bidder.

If Olina showed enough displeasure towards Cecilia, and the Yates were unwilling to see their daughter mistreated, and with Cecilia's spirit, she might just decide never to step foot in the Martinez household for the rest of her life.

Little did Cecilia know that the seemingly kind Ashley she met for the first time was scheming such plans.

As Lucinda put it, the Martinez and Anderson families were not cut from the same cloth. Being with Owen meant facing a lot.

Even ordinary families squabble over small benefits, turning against each other.

Not to mention the vast interests involved in prominent families like the Andersons, which were one in a million.

In the courtyard of the main house, Ashley spotted Olina.

Olina was alone, seemingly stewing in her own frustrations.

"Olina," Ashley called out with a smile as she approached Olina.

Caught in her sulk, Olina turned at the call, her brows furrowing at the sight of Ashley, but she stopped and asked indifferently, "Ashley, what brings you here?"

"I heard Cecilia was coming over for dinner, and last time, I noticed she really enjoyed these dishes. Luckily, my cook had prepared them this evening, so I thought I'd bring them over for you to treat Cecilia."

Ashley, deliberately mentioning Cecilia in a familiar way, grated on Olina's nerves.

Seeing the tray of dishes in the maid's hands, Olina's expression turned even sourer. "Ashley, watch your language. Cecilia is not my daughter-in-law. She's here for dinner, not 'coming back' for dinner. And we have plenty to offer her without your charitable delivery. What's your angle here?"

Ashley, ignoring Olina's icy demeanor, explained cheerfully, "Olina, I mean no harm. I just like Cecilia. She may not be your daughter-in-law now, but with Owen courting her again, she's bound to be my niece-in-law eventually. A niece-in-law coming over for dinner, and me bringing a few extra dishes is just an aunt showing care. I'm not insinuating anything about your household."

With a gesture, Ashley had the maid carry the dishes inside.

Approaching Olina, Ashley's tone was one of sincere advice, "Olina, Owen's been heartbroken over Ruby. Now he's found solace in Cecilia, who seems quite lovely. It was Trenton who chose her for Owen, how bad could she be? You should stop giving the young couple such a hard time."